State of the TV Nation: Which New Series Are Most Likely to Survive
Wanna know whether your favorite freshman series is kicking butt—or about to get kicked out on its keister? Well, look no further!
Now, my dear friends, comes the fun part of the fall TV season: the moment when the overwhelming majority of new shows have launched (only Women's Murder Club, Viva Laughlin and Samantha Who? remain) and we start to get a clear picture of how the 2007-08 TV season is shaping up.
We've combined your votes from our Save It or Sink It Campaign with your comments and emails, the Nielsen ratings, critical reception and general buzz to produce a list of the biggest winners and losers of the new season. Your Save It votes appear in parentheses, so you can see the verdict from your fellow fans on what's watchable and what's not.
Read our take, and let us know if you agree or disagree in the Comments section below!
ALREADY PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Gossip Girl (64%): The CW has already ordered a full season of episodes, and it'll probably be a keeper beyond that, what with major fan enthusiasm, a hot young cast and juicy storylines that fill the never-ending need for sexy teen-soap programming. Like Dawson's Creek and 90210 before it, Gossip should have a nice long run.
HERE TO STAY
Pushing Daisies (80%): Our new favorite and yours, Pushing Daisies, got great premiere numbers (13 million viewers) and kept it going strong last night (10 million). Daisies is easily the most critically acclaimed new show of the fall, and it deserves to be a trophy contender when awards time comes around. Plus, it has more buzz than all of Fox's and CBS' new shows combined. This one is alive—for good.
Private Practice (47%): The most commercially successful show of the new season, Private Practice has the top ratings for newbies and is leading the pack when it comes to new shows on TiVo's Season Pass survey. There's no doubt Practice will stick around for a while, especially given Kate Walsh's popularity and ABC's existing relationship with Shonda Rhimes.
LIKELY A KEEPER
Chuck (62%): NBC just ordered three more scripts, which is a good sign. Plus, Zachary Levi has charm to burn, the cast oozes charisma and the general reception has been quite positive. Still, the ratings are weakening noticeably each week. It will almost certainly get a full-season order, but the ratings slide needs to be halted in order for Chuck to survive its first season.
Life (28%): Also just received a commitment of three more scripts. Life is not quite a breakout, but it has all the makings of one. Though it was originally overlooked and underpromoted, we're rooting for it to become fall's sleeper hit! (P.S.: If you watched this series for the first time last night, give it one more shot. It wasn't the best representation of how good this series can be, IMHO.)
Cane (21%): CBS just picked up four more scripts of the hot and spicy Duques family. And with Viva Laughlin likely to be a dud and Moonlight and Big Bang Theory getting quiet receptions, this is the most likely of all the Eyeball net shows to stick around.
Reaper (56%): The ratings aren't quite spiffy enough for Reaper to be safe, but when the CW finds itself with a show that (a) appeals to the 18-49 demographic and (b) is one of the top-reviewed new shows of the season, it's not gonna go do something stupid like cancel it. Right, CW?
Dirty Sexy Money (44%): It premiered to about 10.5 million viewers two weeks ago, which isn't bad for the 10 p.m. time period it's occupying. Plus, time-slot competitors CSI: New York and Life are averaging similar numbers. Unfortunately, the Darlings lost close to a million fans on their second outing, and will have to prove they can hold the remaining audience's attention for the next few weeks. Though critics are generally happy with the series and creatively it shows promise, if the fans don't stick with it the assistance of Nick George ain't gonna do squat!
Moonlight (55%): From what we've seen, fan response to CBS' vampire-detective drama has been very strong, in no small part because it stars Jason Dohring. CBS has to love the ratings, which allow it (finally) to keep up the momentum in the bridge slot on Friday nights between Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs. Also, it has Jason Dohring. Consider it a keeper.
HANGING IN THERE
Bionic Woman (35%): Commercially, Bionic is doing fine—it's one of the highest-rated new shows of the season—but we're putting it here because audience reaction to the first few eps has been mixed, and there are also persistent rumors of behind-the-scenes and budgetary challenges. That said, it's from those Battlestar Galactica people (who know what they're doing), and it draws an appealing demographic. Bionic Woman should get a chance to work out the kinks in its system.
The Big Bang Theory (24%): Formulaic but funny, this sitcom from Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre would win its time slot if Dancing with the Stars weren't in the way, and it fits perfectly into CBS' Monday comedy block. A good, easy-to-translate-and-syndicate comedy is hard to find these days, so Big Bang pretty much has it made.
Big Shots (58%): I don't love it, but many of you do. It has Michael Vartan. It doesn't do as well as lead-in Grey's Anatomy, but it has overcome a lot of bad buzz to perform acceptably. So far, not failing just might be enough to keep it around.
Aliens in America (47%): This surprisingly entertaining newbie is already reliably the lowest-rated thing airing on Mondays, which is not good (duh). However, luckily for America, the CW doesn't have a ton of promising replacements waiting in the wings, and it's also a hit among critics and a small but devoted fan base, which is why the network has already ordered a few more episodes. We're hoping this one sticks around.
Journeyman (33%): Despite an outpouring of support from fans and a pickup by NBC of three more scripts, Journeyman needs a lot more eyeballs in order to stick around. So, if you're a fan of this show, start spreading the word and harassing your friends into watching!
AT RISK
Carpoolers (25%): Its premiere episode scored a nice 9 million viewers, with many most likely tuning in to check out its lead-in (the much talked about Cavemen). Unfortunately, even though the second episode was even better than the first, Carpoolers lost a lot of eyeballs this week and needs better ratings in order to stick around.
Back to You (28%): This show has officially premiered to a resounding "meh," as evidenced by lackluster ratings that have declined week after week. However, all that is probably trumped by Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton and the fact that it is funny. Fox has every reason to be patient with it, at least until American Idol premieres in the spring.
TOTALLY SCREWED
Life Is Wild (29%): Low premiere ratings (only 1.2 million viewers), minimal buzz and the prohibitive costs of shooting on location overseas have probably already doomed the Clarkes and their pretty kitties…
K-Ville (19%): The ratings were nothing special to start with (5 millionish viewers), and they're on the downturn. It's in a tough slot opposite Heroes, Dancing with the Stars and Two and a Half Men. It's a generic buddy-cop show. Most of you wanted to Sink It. Consider it sunk.
Cavemen (13%): Hollywood was stunned when this comedy based on a series of insurance commercials about Cro-Magnon frat boys failed to connect with audiences. The curious started bailing after the first ep, and ratings have since been dropping like a Stone Age rock. The viewing public, man. So unpredictable!
Michael Pitt Disses Saw Fans, Soldiers, Funny Games Detractors
“Saw films are below par.”
Brooklynite actor Michael Pitt has come a long way from starring on Dawson’s Creek, and in the current issue of Giant magazine he delivers, in context, some particularly vapid-funny-traditionally-hipster quotes about the Saw franchise, U.S. soldiers and people who won’t/don’t “get” the March remake of Funny Games.
On his film preferences…
“I don’t even know what Saw or Hostel are. Are they like Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I guess I’m drawn to things like Lawrence of Arabia.”
And then he adds…
“[Audiences that don’t like Funny Games] can kiss my ass. I hope they do [get angry with] Funny Games. It challenges you. If you’re not up to the challenge, go see Saw.”
And not to get Fox News-y, but coming from Pitt, “one of the faces of Emporio Armani and a friend of author J.T. Leroy,” this quote equating being a soldier to regression is ridiculous…
“People think that, until you’ve killed someone or had someone shoot at you, you’re not a grown-up. Going to war isn’t growing up; it’s moving backwards.”
Fringe Promo Posters
“Fringe” is the new TV Series by Writer/Director/Producer extraordinaire J.J. Abrams. It’s a television drama centered around a female FBI agent who is forced to work with an institutionalized scientists in order to rationalize a brewing storm of unexplained phenomena.
Kind of sounds like X-Files, but with Abrams behind the wheel, I have a little more faith for the series. Also interesting is that it’s the return of Joshua Jackson (The Mighty Ducks, Dawson’s Creek) to TV!
These posters are interesting, because you have to look close to find the “clues”: 1) The hand has six fingers; 2) In the mist, you can make out an eye in the middle of the poster; 3) The silhouetted figure appears to only have one leg (unless that’s just a trick of the light); 4) There are two fetuses where the apple seeds should be; and 5) The leaf has a weird triangle in with the other veins.
Interesting! What does it all MEAN? Who knows! We’ll have to wait until August when the show appears on Fox.
Let the speculation begin!
Katie Holmes Biography
A brunette natural beauty from a close-knit family in Toledo, Ohio, Katie Holmes landed the first two professional auditions of her career, resulting in her feature debut in the acclaimed “The Ice Storm” (1997) and a regular series role on the popular teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” (The WB, 1998-2003). While such accomplishments are virtually unheard of in Hollywood, and may easily be written off as amazing luck, those who have witnessed her work are not likely to discount her formidable talent and ease on camera.
With a promising turn as Libbets Casey, Tobey Maguire’s love interest in Ang Lee’s swinging 1970s set “The Ice Storm”, Holmes made the most of her supporting role, proving a compelling screen performer. While this big screen debut won the actress acclaim, television would soon make Katie Holmes a household name. Interestingly, the young actress’ refreshing grounding in homespun values almost caused her to miss her auspicious small screen debut. Asked to audition for Kevin Williamson’s smart teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” on the same day she was to debut as Lola in her high school production of “Damn Yankees”, Holmes politely declined, citing that her commitment to fellow castmates and friends was more important. Casting agents wisely rescheduled, and Holmes won the role on the new series. As Joey Potter, Dawson’s proverbial girl-next-door, she played the injured innocent, sweet, but with an edge, the product of a background far removed from the Holmes’ own traditional and happy home. Faced with an imprisoned father, dead mother, and an overworked sister who is not only Joey’s guardian, but has a new baby of her own, the character’s everyday traumas were handled with grace by the actress. Holmes weekly gave a standout performance on the popular series, even among a cast of palpably gifted and more experienced young actors.
Her skillful performance in the disappointing thriller “Disturbing Behavior” (1998) couldn’t elevate that film above its uninspired predictability, and while Williamson’s “Teaching Mrs. Tingle” (1999) showcased Holmes’ glowing presence and unmatched watchability, it became apparent that it was high time she moved past the tired teen scream genre. A move in that direction came with her turn as a supermarket checkout girl caught up in a drug-related hostage situation in Doug Liman’s indie ensemble film “Go” (1999). She was reunited with Tobey Maguire in “Wonder Boys” (2000), the Curtis Hanson-directed adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel chronicling a middle-aged author (Michael Douglas) plagued by writer’s block.
With “Go” and “Wonder Boys,” in which she played a student pursuing her much-older professor, Holmes smartly chose feature film roles that played against her well-established “Dawson’s Creek” persona, a challenge she continued to accept as more films came her way. In Sam Raimi’s thriller “The Gift” (2000) she played a bitchy, maneating Southern beauty who is brutally murdered, essaying a grown-up nude scene designed more to put the character of sweet-faced Joey behind her than to titillate. She took the lead in screenwriter-turned-director Stephen Gaghan’s woman-in-jeopardy outing “Abandon” (2002), her first turn at carrying a picture in a mature leading role, and also joined the cast of director Joel Schumacher’s 2003 action fest “The Phone Booth.”
Further honing her post-TV craft as her series entered its last season, Holmes took the lead in the indie “Pieces of April” (2003) playing a headstrong young woman trying to reconcile with her dying mother–a role than earned her much critical acclaim–and appeared in a supporting role in “The Singing Detective” (2003), an adaptation of the Dennis Potter book starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr. After that it was on to a role she had probably outgrown, “First Daughter” (2004), in which she was cast as an independent-minded Presidential offspring off to college who falls for the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her by posing as a dorm advisor.
Holmes got her introductory shot at a big-screen action blockbuster when she was cast as Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend and love interest Rachel Dawes, an uncorruptable Gotham City district attorney–and a character created especially for the screen–in “Batman Begins” (2005), the effective, involving relaunch of the popular film franchise focusing on the character’s shadowy origins. Just weeks before the film’s debut Holmes’ private life was catapulted into the public eye when she and actor Tom Cruise announced that they were dating, an announcement that was met with some skepticism from the media and the public given that the word came prior to both having major summer movies poised to debut. Speculation that the relationship was a pubilicty stunt ran rampant, especially after some ill-advised public appearances–including their bizarre, love-professing visit to “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in which Cruise jumped on the furniture in indulged in much fist-pumpin. Holmes also adopted Cruise’s management team and began taking courses in Scientology, which the superstar long championed. The couple’s happy ending came in June 2005 when they announced their engagement in Paris. By October she announced that she was preganant with their first child together, prompting her to drop out of her co-starring role in the drama “Shame On You” (lensed 2005).
- Also Credited As:
Katie Noelle Holmes - Born:
Katie Noelle Holmes on 12/18/1978 in Toledo, Ohio - Job Titles:
Actor
Family
- Brother: Martin Holmes. older
- Daughter: Suri Cruise. born April 18, 2006; father, Tom Cruise
- Father: Martin Holmes.
- Mother: Kathy Holmes.
Significant Others
- Companion: Chris Klein. began dating January 2000; became engaged in December 2003; announced split March 4, 2005
- Companion: Tom Cruise. began dating April 2005; became engaged June 17, 2005 atop the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
- Companion: Chris Klein. began dating as of January 2000
- Companion: Joshua Jackson. co-starred together on “Dawson’s Creek”; dated briefly in 1998
Education
- Notre Dame High School, Toledo, Ohio, 1997
- Margaret O’Brien’s Modeling School, Toledo, Ohio
Milestones
- 1997 Had featured role as Libbets Casey in Ang Lee’s “The Ice Storm”
- 1997 Landed role of Lola in high school production of “Damn Yankees” (date approximate)
- 1998 Cast as Joey Potter, the childhood best friend of the title character, in the ensemble TV drama “Dawson’s Creek” (The WB); series created by Kevin Williamson
- 1998 Played leading role in David Nutter’s “Disturbing Behavior”
- 1999 Featured in the ensemble of Doug Liman’s “Go”
- 1999 Starred in “Teaching Mrs Tingle”, Kevin Williamson’s directorial debut
- 2000 Had supporting role of a college student infatuated with her English professor in “Wonder Boys”
- 2000 Played a slutty rich girl whose disappearance and murder is an integral plot point in “The Gift”
- 2002 Starred as a college student troubled when a detective reopens the two-year-old case of her boyfriend’s mysterious disappearance in “Abandon”
- 2003 Featured opposite of Colin Farrell in Joel Schumacher’s feature “Phone Booth”
- 2003 Played a troubled young woman forced to reevaluate her familial ties in “Pieces of April”
- 2005 Starred as the love interest to Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) in “Batman Begins”
- 2006 Portrayed a reporter opposite Aaron Eckhart in the satirical comedy “Thank You for Smoking” directed by Jason Reitman
- Attended a modeling and talent convention in NYC where she was spotted by a talent manager
- Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio